


knight in shining armour

by croftsdorian



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Assassin’s Creed Unity - Freeform, Ballroom, Canon X OC - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Knight in Shining Armour, Lots of Angst, Major Character Injury, Violence, arno x oc - Freeform, arno x reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 22:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30146523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croftsdorian/pseuds/croftsdorian
Summary: disaster ensues at a ball after arno tries to protect the one he loves.
Relationships: Arno Dorian x reader, arnaith, arnoxfaith, oc x canon - Relationship





	knight in shining armour

**Author's Note:**

> for daphne! 
> 
> (down bad, huh? 📸)
> 
> written for my bestie daphne, including her original character, faith arpin! sorry in advance..

faith could hear the music from outside the gates, even over the constant chattering of people waiting. it was taking forever. 

arno had been invited to a ball, as a celebration for a particularly dangerous mission he’d succeeded in undertaking. 

part of him had been apprehensive in taking her, just in case anything was to go down - he was one of the templars’ most wanted men, after all, and they had eyes everywhere - but after a little pleading and a few kisses, she had donned her finest outfit and, along with arno, were escorted to the venue. 

although he had agreed, faith could tell he was still worried. every so often, he’d whip his head around to check the surroundings. figures lurking in the crowds. silhouettes on rooftops. even watching the guards - just in case.

‘arno,’ faith mumbled, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. ‘it’s okay. they won’t bother us here.’ 

her husband smiled down at her, but she could sense the unease behind his gaze. faith grasped his hand firmer, and he relaxed a little. ‘it’ll be okay. i promise.’

some time later, arno and elise had made it inside the ball. delicate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the room was filled with couples swaying to the orchestral score. 

‘shall we, mon ange?’ arno extended his hand to his wife, and she took it without a second thought. 

arno placed one hand firmly on faith’s waist, pulling her closer to him. intertwining their hands, faith smiled as her lover guided her gracefully around the room. 

she noticed how the light from the chandeliers illuminated his features as he spun her around, a smile spreading across both of their faces. tendrils of his hair swept across his face, a comforting warmth radiating from his gaze. 

arno’s sight was firmly locked onto her, and each time she met his regard, it was almost as if she was seeing him for the first time again. she felt her heartbeat increase, and such an intense warmth fill her that only he could cause. 

faith had to resist the urge to cup his cheek in her hand, and run her thumb over the scar adorned onto his skin. he was so incredibly beautiful, and in moments like these she was constantly reminded that however many times she saw his face, she could never get enough of him. she never would. 

‘what are you staring at, mon chérie?’ arno quizzed, moving his other hand to rest on her waist. faith wrapped both arms around his neck, and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. ‘nothing,’ faith mused. ‘just at how beautiful mon prince is.’ 

arno’s cheeks grew red, and faith giggled as he kissed the top of her forehead. ‘why, thank you, ma chérie. but of course, i could never be as beautiful as mon princesse.’ faith beamed at that, shifting her head to kiss him.

suddenly, shouting erupted from the other end of the ballroom. arno whipped his head around, watching as guards, that were stationed from across the palace, ran by. 

faith felt the firm, safe hold he held on her waist tighten, as if his instincts to protect her were already kicking in. a tight knot began to form in her stomach as she watched the room erupt into chaos. 

couples began running left and right, desperately trying to escape the imminent danger approaching. 

‘arno? what’s happening?’ faith queried, gripping onto arno’s shoulder tighter. 

screams rang out across the room, along with the sounds of swords clashing. 

‘it’s them,’ arno husked, pulling faith closer to him - perhaps for his own reassurance as much as hers. 

‘templars.’

‘what?’ it couldn’t be. how had they found him? 

‘what do they want?’ faith implored, the knot in her stomach growing as arno released his hold on her. 

arno pulled back, looking faith directly in the eyes. his gaze no longer held the peaceful warmth from before; instead it was crinkled with worry. 

at that moment, faith knew. 

she wished she didn’t. 

‘no, arno, it’s not safe - come on, we can leave now before they notice. they won’t be able to hurt you if we’re quick enough, you know that-‘ faith began hurriedly, beginning to pull arno in the direction of the doorways. 

‘it’s not me i’m worried about, mon ange.’ arno whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind faith’s ear. stopping her in her tracks. he paused, staring at faith directly in her eyes. admiring her in all her beauty. ‘look, just stay here, okay? if they get closer, find a different room or a sword if you need. if i don’t manage it.’ 

faith’s eyes widened. ‘no, arno, don’t do this. please don’t, come on, we can still leave!’ 

‘but mon cherié, i have to protect you-‘

‘arno, i don’t want you to get hurt!’ faith snapped. tears filled her eyes and a lump filled her throat. 

his face fell for a moment at her tone of voice, and faith felt a pang of guilt for speaking to him in such a manner. he was only trying to help. 

arno quickly regained his composure, silently raising faith’s hand to his lips. pressing a chaste kiss on her skin, he spoke once more. ‘and i wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you did.’

with that, arno drew away from her, weaving inbetween the crowds of people. 

faith stood, watching his figure disappear as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

‘i love you,’ she whispered, before turning away to find a place to hide. 

after what felt like an eternity of listening to the distant sounds of furniture crashing, yelling, and swords clanging against each other, the palace fell eerily silent, with only the quiet groans of a few men to be heard.

the anxious knot had grown to an almost unbearable size in her stomach, and faith felt as though her insides were about to spill out of her if she didn’t find arno soon. 

making her way out of her curtain hiding place, faith hurriedly passed through the adjoining rooms. 

her stomach felt as if it was getting twisted tighter and tighter whenever she came across a trail of blood. even worse, it seemed to get thicker the closer she ventured to the ballroom. 

‘arno?’ she whispered, desperately hoping to hear her lover’s response. ‘arno-‘

suddenly, she found herself thrown against a wall, a sharp blade pressed against her neck. a hooded man stood in front of her, one hand gripping her hair.

‘where is he?’ the man grumbled, pushing the blade ever so slightly into her skin. 

faith whimpered at the pain, but avoided struggling for fear the weapon would slip. ‘who?’ she struggled out, her eyes scanning the surroundings for anything she could use to attack him. she caught sight of a familiar symbol on his blade - the templar cross. 

her stomach dropped, and she found herself desperately hoping

arno was okay. 

‘you know who,’ the man pressed the blade further into her neck, and faith almost cried with how close it was to seriously hurting her. ‘the master assassin.’ 

before faith could utter another syllable, a voice rang out. 

‘get off her.’ 

before the man could even respond, a figure deftly swooped down from the shadows. within seconds, he was knocked him off his feet and the blade that had, moments ago, been on the verge of ending faith’s life, was sent straight out of his grasp, clattering away down the hall.

the sound of a familiar hidden blade rang out, and before faith could even comprehend what had happened - the man was dead. 

breathing heavily, faith tried to regain her composure, attempting to stumble away from the scene. 

but before she could fall, a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her in close. ‘it’s me, mon ange. you’re safe now.’ 

faith beamed, spinning around to face her dear husband. their eyes locked, and faith immediately saw arno’s - now disheveled - expression grin at her. 

‘god, i missed you,’ she whispered, burying her head in his neck. wrapping her arms tightly around him, she breathed in his comforting scent. relief filled her. 

until she felt a wet patch against his stomach. pulling away, faith looked down to see a rapidly growing red stain, spreading across his outfit. 

‘arno?’ faith choked, looking back up at him. ‘what the fuck happened?’ 

‘it’s alright,’ arno cracked a weak smile, but faith could clearly see his strong facade was already fading under the demands of his dire injury. ‘these things happen.’ 

‘oh arno..come on, we need to get help - i’ll find something to put on it, okay?’ faith began; racking her brain to think of ways to keep him safe until they could find a doctor. ‘we need to put pressure on it first, don’t we? here, we can use my-‘

‘faith,’ arno croaked, smiling softly. ‘just.. stay here with me. while i’m still here too.’

‘arno,’ faith’s eyes filled with tears once more, and she cupped his face in her hands, running her thumbs over his cheeks. ‘i’m not going to leave you, not now, not ever.’ 

‘i hoped you wouldn’t,’ arno joked, but suddenly groaned as his legs buckled, and he stumbled backwards. 

faith hurriedly supported his torso, managing to help him slump against a wall. 

‘i don’t know who i am without you,’ faith mumbled, shakily attempting to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks. 

‘that’s easy.’ arno whispered, and she felt him wrap his arms around her waist. pulling her against him. 

he kissed her tear-covered face, weakly running a hand through her hair. she leant her head against his broad chest, listening to his heartbeat, trying to keep her breathing steady. in time with his. she could feel it becoming more laboured, and her sobs only grew harder. 

‘you’re my princess, and i’m your knight in shining armour.’ he chuckled, earning a tearful smile from his faith. ‘well, that’s not all,’ he continued. 

‘you’re the best person i’ve ever met.’


End file.
